A BREAST cancer survivor from Wicken Bonhunt is appealing to beauticians in the Saffron Walden area to help form a new charity project. Bars Bullen, 55, is hoping that people in the cosmetics industry will be prepared to give up an afternoon every month o

A BREAST cancer survivor from Wicken Bonhunt is appealing to beauticians in the Saffron Walden area to help form a new charity project.

Bars Bullen, 55, is hoping that people in the cosmetics industry will be prepared to give up an afternoon every month or two to help establish a support group in Epping for women who are recovering from cancer.

The "Look Good...Feel Better" sessions provide women with tips on how to counter the dramatic effects cancer treatment can have on their appearance, by offering expert advice on cosmetic product choice and application.

"I was treated at St Margaret's Hospital in Epping and Addenbrooke's in Cambridge when I was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago," said Mrs Bullen.

"I had a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. I had no hair - in the end I shaved my head because it was so distressing to wake up with hair on the pillow each morning. I also put on weight because of the steroids I was taking for the chemotherapy.

"The Look Good...Feel Better sessions I was able to attend were a great help - the ladies there are all in the same boat, and we all left at the end looking great. If you look good, you feel much more confident in yourself."

The mother-of-three went to Look Good...Feel Better sessions at Addenbrooke's Hospital, but now wants to establish a similar group at St Margaret's.

Mrs Bullen said: "There's a big waiting list for these sessions, three or four months, and of course it's sometimes the case that by the time three or four months have passed, the most vital time for women who want to take part has already been and gone."

Each woman at the sessions receives a box of cosmetics from top-end producers including Lancôme, Christian Dior and Clarins, tailored to their skin type. Three or four beauticians then talk the women through the products, covering the whole make-up process.

The beauticians demonstrate how to tackle the cosmetic problems commonly associated with chemotherapy, such as eyebrow loss and skin discolouration.

Look Good...Feel Better is a national charity that has helped tens of thousands of women with cancer during its 12-year existence. You can find out more about its work by visiting www.lookgoodfeelbetter.co.uk.

If you are a beautician or work in the cosmetics industry and would like to make a difference to the lives of cancer sufferers in the area, contact Bars Bullen at bars@winbrook.co.uk or by calling her on 01799 540062.